Project Z
by GabiiBearr
Summary: The government has despised a new plan to get rid of the X-men and a new mutant group has risen up to cause a new war. Full summary inside
1. Lydia

**VERY IMPORTANT:**

Charles is not dead, nor paralyzed. Rogue still has her power.

**SUMMARY: **

Lydia Rena (Ri-nay) Clark is a mutant not from any background like the others. She grew up in a stable home-safe and protected from any harms by her single mother who works for the government. She has no idea what her power is-though it's always been there-and her mother sends her away after finding about top secret government plans. Another war is in store for a new generation of mutants, but will they be ready to save the world?

**Lydia**

* * *

Stood there in a private school attire next to Charles Xavier was a girl with curly chocolate brown hair and blue eyes. The sun reflected off of her fair skin and around her, creating a shadow on the floor. She clutched a small bag filled with her necessities. Charles looked at the girl and offered her a smile, one she was too shy to return.

"Hello, dear, I'm Charles Xavier." Charles said, walking around her, "And you are?"

"Lydia." the girl's voice was hoarse so she cleared her throat, "Ly-Lydia. Lydia Rena Clark."

"And you're a mutant?" he asked, already in her mind looking for any clues.

There weren't any.

"Y-yes. My mom says I am, at least. I-I was given the trait by my father. I don't know who he is." she mumbled.

"Well, here, you have a new family. Why don't we get you settled in?" he questioned.

"O-Okay." she said, staring at the bag in her hand.

"Follow-"

Charles was cut off as Logan, better known as Wolverine, walked towards them and cleared his throat.

"Professor," Logan said, "One of the new students got stuck in the toilet."

"Oh, I'll handle it. Show Lydia to a room, if you wouldn't mind." Charles said, walking away.

Logan cleared his throat.

"Follow me." he said, leading the way up the stairs.

After a minute, he came to a room and opened the door. She walked in and looked around then placed her bag on the bed.

"Thank you." she mumbled.

"No problem. What's your name, kid?" he asked.

"Lydia? Mr. Xavier told you when he asked you to show me around." she spoke quietly.

"I must have not heard him, I'm sorry." he said, looking around her room. "If you need anything just come find me. I'm Logan, but you can also call me Wolverine. Everyone around here's sort of nicknamed after whatever their ability is, so what's yours?"

"I don't know." she mumbled.

Awkwardly, Logan left. Lydia locked her door, shut the curtain, and took off her black dress shoes along with her white knee high socks, her navy and black plaid tie, her white button up and her navy and black plaid skirt that stopped mid-thigh. Standing there half naked, two sets of dog-tags hung from her neck. She got dressed in an over sized black shirt and white leggings with black ankle socks. She tied her hair up in a ponytail and walked out of the room. She walked down the halls, past running kids, and into a huge room. In it, she saw Logan and Charles along with two other people she'd never seen. One was a woman with short white hair whereas the other was a young girl with blonde hair.

The blonde haired girls green eyes landed on Lydia and she smiled. Logan followed her gaze and gave a nod.

"Lydia, what are you doing here?" he asked, curiously.

"I, uh, I-" every eye was on her, now, "I was just looking around and I, uh,"

She'd been backing away and had now knocked over a table. The blonde girl giggled.

"Lydia, calm down." Charles said, gently.

"I could really use a protector." Lydia mumbled.

"Are you okay?" Logan asked her.

At that moment, a boy with brown hair and blue eyes came walking in. He was rather pale, not too much but still pale, and wore black. He said, nothing, just looked at Lydia, then looked away.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine." Lydia said, shakily.

"You're name is Lydia?" the blonde asked.

"Yeah." Lydia answered, sheepishly.

"I'm Presley." the girl said, smiling.

"We were just announcing a new elite team and asked Presley to be apart of it. It's sort of a secret thing, would you mind-" the white haired lady was cut off.

"No, Storm, let her stay." Charles said. "She might be asked to join it, who knows what she's capable of."

Storm nodded and turned her attention back to the girl. Few words were exchanged. The whole gist of the situation was that Charles asked Presley if she felt that she was really ready. Once Presley agreed, he said "very well, we will start with your more elite classes as soon as possible". And blah, blah, blah. Not really paying attention, Lydia left. Once she was halfway back to her room, she turned around and saw the same boy from the room following her.

"Who-who are you?" she asked, staring at him.

"Who do you want me to be called, M'lady." he asked, cocking his head to the side.

"What do you mean?"

"You created me as a protector, M'lady."

"Logan!" Lydia screamed, staring at the boy in front of her in bewilderment.

After a moment or two, Lydia heard Logan coming up the stairs. He stopped in front of her and grabbed her shoulders, leaning eye-level with her.

"What's wrong, are you hurt?" he asked, concerned.

"Y-you don't see him?" she asked, tears in her eyes, terrified.

"See who, Lydia?" he asked, searching in her tear filled eyes for answers.

"Wh-"

"You have to make me visible to him, M'lady." the boy said, his elfin features looking slightly concerned.

"H-how?" she asked.

"Relax." the boy answered.

"Who are you talkin-"

Logan was cut off as the elf boy beside him slowly turned visible to him. Grinning, he turned to Lydia.

"Well done, M'lady." the boy said, able to sense when someone can see him.

"He can see you now?" she asked.

"Yes, can't you feel it?"

She did. It was like a small sensation in her stomach. It was like being open to someone, the feeling you get when you tell someone a secret.

"Yes."

"Who are you?" Logan asked, claws coming out.

Lydia gasped.

"She hasn't named me yet." he said, eyeing the claws, then resting his hand on the hilt of his sword.

"I, uh, I name you Elliot." Lydia said, shakily.

He knelt before her.

"You created me at a time when you needed a protector, therefore my destiny is already decided. Usually, though, you create and assign afterwards. You have the choice of protectors, warriors and just regular servants." Elliot said, standing behind her.

"She created you? Out of thin air?" Logan asked.

"Yes. It's her ability." he responded.

"And your her, what, servant?"

"Pretty much."

Logan grinned.

"Way to go, Princess."

**~X~X~X~ **

Elliot stood by Lydia as Charles studied him. Beside Lydia was Presley, in front of her was Logan and by him was Storm. Charles looked at her.

"He's basically a part of you, isn't he?" he asked.

"I am." Elliot answered for her.

"I wonder if you two could try mind communication."

_M'lady_, Elliot's voice rang in Lydia's head. Being that Charles was in her head, he grinned.

"Excellent." Charles smiled, "Lydia, how would you like to be a part of the elite team?"

"Do you think she's ready for it?" Logan asked.

"Honestly, the only part I do in my ability is make things and summon them and dismiss them. The better question is if Elliot's ready." she mumbled.

"You mumble a lot." Presley offered her a smile. Lydia returned it.

"I was created to be ready for anything." he assured her.

"Then I think she's ready." Charles declared, walking off.

"So, who's all a part of the team?"

"Until we get new recruits in your age group, the two of you, Billy, Rogue, Kitty and myself." Logan answered.

"Billy? Rogue? Kitty?" Lydia asked, confused.

"You'll meet them soon. Now, lets get some food, shall we?"

* * *

**It may not be the best story ever but I hope that you enjoyed it and will review and continue to read it. Thank you so much and if you ever want to use any of my characters in your own story, PM me. Just be sure to give me credit for them. Well, thank you for reading and please review!**


	2. Corey

**Corey**

* * *

Food was something Lydia hadn't thought about the whole time she'd been at the school. Sitting at a table with Logan and Presley, Elliot standing behind her respectfully, she began stuffing her face greedily. She couldn't remember the last time she ate. For days she'd told her mom she wasn't hungry and not to worry about feeding her. She'd sneaked a few snacks here and there but hadn't eaten any actual meals. Sure, two sandwiches wouldn't really count as an actual meal but it was the best she had right now and the only thing she really wanted to ask for. Logan and Presley ate their own sandwiches and no one spoke, too busy savoring the taste of their food.

"Logan, something came up." a girl with brown hair said walking over to them, another girl and a boy following behind her.

"What do you mean something came up?" Logan asked, swallowing the last bite of his sandwich.

"The professor found another mutant. He could really use our help." the girl with black hair that had two streaks of white in it spoke.

"Okay, come on girls." Logan said, motioning for the teens on either side of him to follow.

They walked to a room and Logan grabbed three suits, all of them a navy color with yellow lines on the arms and legs. Going off their separate ways for a minute, they all went and changed, Elliot staying away from them and closing his eyes. Once Lydia was dressed, she walked back over to Elliot and looks around sheepishly.

"What is it, M'lady?" he asked, concerned.

"I, uh, want my clothes back to my room but I don't know..." she trailed off.

"Just make another servant, one who's job is to be a servant." he offered, his moving causing a chain to show through around his neck.

"Okay." she said, focusing her mind on needing a servant.

A girl, who was very naked, appeared in front of her, covering herself while she knelt. She had auburn hair and her eyes were nothing but whites. Lydia screamed.

"It's okay, M'lady, you just have to announce what she is." Elliot reassured her.

"You are a servant. I name you Iris." Lydia said, almost out of breath.

The girl stood, still naked. Slowly, a gray dress wove itself around her and an iris, that was gray, and a pupil appeared in each of her eyes. As Lydia watched, she saw a chain weave around her neck. The girl bowed respectfully and Lydia made her fully visible.

"At your service, M'lady." Iris said, her voice soft and melodic.

"Would you mind taking these to my room. After, you are dismissed." Lydia said, sort of getting the hang of her ability.

"As you wish, M'lady." the girl bowed once more and left, carrying the clothes.

"Way to go, Princess." Logan said, he and the kids from earlier standing by Presley.

"Th-thank you." Lydia said, looking back at the chain around Elliot's neck.

"What is it, M'lady?" he asked, curious.

"What's around your neck?" she asked, narrowing her eyes at it in curiosity.

Elliot pulled the chain out from under his clothes. On it was a set of dog-tags that read "Elliot" and "Protector" along with serial numbers and whatnot. The other thing on the necklace was a small black, circular charm.

"The charm is to show what I am faster. Black for protector, white for warrior and gray for servant." he said.

"How do you know so much already? Didn't I create you out of thin air?" Lydia asked, shocked.

Elliot grinned.

"Yes, M'lady," he said. Pausing, he added, "when you were five. Now, let's go, I hear we have a mission, M'lady."

She hadn't noticed that the others were already to the jet, waiting on her. She stood in shock for a second before walking. Why hadn't she remembered making him?

**~X~X~X~**

Corey Jones went to a public school in uptown New York, being that he'd been kicked out of every private school his parents could think of. Corey wasn't a delinquent, they knew that just as much as he did, but there had been problems dealing with fighting. One time, he remembered, a guy who was a foot taller than him had pushed a kid down in the hallway and it pissed Corey off. Corey, who'd been a lot smaller when he was fourteen, was too angry to be scared of the 6'2 jock in front of him. He took a swing at the boy who laughed and knelt down, face-to-face. The boy taunted him for a good thirty seconds until Corey decided it was enough. Pulling back his fist, he felt an odd sensation. It was as though he were firmer. Throwing a punch as soft as he did shouldn't have cause the boy a broken nose, but it did.

Corey still had no idea how.

Now, he stood in his second hour Biology class learning about DNA and punnet squares. On the board, the teacher listed a strand of DNA with an X as a gene.

"Who can tell me what this is?" the teacher, Ms. Darla, asked.

She pointed to Corey who sighed.

"Mutant DNA." Corey answered.

"Very good. As we all know, the mutant gene is dominate. Does that always mean a mutants kid will be a mutant? No, but it does mean it will be a carrier for the gene no matter what. The weird thing is-" her lecture was cut short as the wall exploded.

Standing outside the school was a guy with black hair, sunglasses, jeans and a leather jacket. His black hair was messy and a wicked grin rested on his tanned face. In his hand was a ball of fire. Corey's classmates were screaming and Ms. Darla was evacuating the class. Corey stood, paralyzed by fear. The man was staring at him.

"Come on, Corey." Ms. Darla called.

When he didn't move, she shut and locked the door. Better some ignorant child than her, right? The man grinned and began walking toward Corey. Now, he was ready to leave. Corey ran to the door but it wouldn't open. He realized it was locked and screamed and begged for help. He turned back and saw it was too late to leave out of the side of the room because the guy was closer. Corey screamed for help but he realized that none of these people were going to save him. He was going to die.

**~X~X~X~**

The jet landed rather harshly on the ground, Lydia noticed.

"What was with that landing?" Presley asked.

"No time to land nicely, kid's in danger." Logan said, getting up and running out of the jet.

Everyone else followed along. The first thing Lydia noticed was the burning wall. Next was the guy with the fire ball in his hand walking into the building. She didn't think, she just screamed. She didn't understand why she was scared, but she fell to the ground. She felt arms wrapped around her and realized that it was Elliot.

"M'lady," Elliot said, sounding amazed, "how did you do that?"

Lydia looked up and noticed three kneeling elfin boys. One brown headed, another blonde and the last red headed.

"Soldiers," Lydia said quickly, seeing the smirking man again, "definitively soldiers."

Green irises appeared along with pupils in their eyes as they stood and were dressed in loose white clothing much like Elliot's.

"Name them and hurry up." Logan said, dodging a fireball.

"Rin, Ian and Jay." she said, naming them in order.

Rin had a sword, Ian had a spear and Jay had a staff. They were made visible to everyone but the guy holding the fire, like Elliot. Before Lydia could react, a knife was thrown at her. Elliot, hearing the whistle of it, caught it by the blade just as it was about to go through her head. Elliot turned to see a brown haired girl with brown eyes. Presley noticed her and focused her attention on her. Lydia then noticed that a lot more mutants had shown up to help the man with the fireballs. Her soldiers were preoccupied and Elliot was focusing his attention not on her but on the area around her.

"Princess, get the boy to the jet." Logan called out.

Lydia nodded and ran to the building, finding the boy. He had dark brown hair and honey brown eyes with tan skin. He backed away, paralyzed with fear.

"You're normal like me, what are you doing with those freaks?" he asked, exasperated.

She laughed.

"Oh my God, you're just like me." she said, cracking a smile.

"Like you? What do you mean?" he asked.

"I didn't know what my ability was, either. But we should go." she said, grabbing his wrist.

She turned to sprint but standing in front of her was a black haired boy with piercing cold blue eyes. Desks flew at her. Elliot shielded her, falling to his knees.

"Elliot!" Lydia screamed.

"Dis-dismiss me so I can heal. M-make another protector in the mean time, M'lady." Elliot coughed.

"You're dismissed." she all but screamed, wanting him to heal as fast as possible.

The boy smirked.

"You have a rare gift. It's rather neat." he said, "I'm Houdini. The reason I can sense your power is because of my gift."

"Wh-what's your gift?" Lydia asked, yanking the 6'1 boy behind her in an awkward attempt to protect him with her 5'5 frame.

Houdini smiled at her, amused and actually impressed by her bravery. With a gift like hers and her will to protect the people she sides with, she'd make a great addition to their cult. Plus, she wasn't that bad looking-not like some of the other mutant girls around him.

"Telepathy, dear. I can move things with my mind, influence your thoughts, don't worry I've had a bad experience with that so I'm never doing that again, and lastly," he grinned at her, genuinely, _I can make my thoughts your own_.

His voice rang through her mind and she gasped, jumping back, bumping into the boy behind her. He used his hands to steady her.

"You okay?" the boy asked.

"Why don't you both join us?" Houdini asked, a grin of encouragement on his face.

"Why should we?" the boy behind Lydia asked.

"Because you're either with us," the desk raised back up and his grin seemed rather painful but sinister, "or against us."


	3. Memories

**Memories**

* * *

It happened so fast. The desk flew at her and the boy behind her screamed and yanked her behind him. The desk hit him and shattered. She watched as wood and plastic flew several different places.

"H-how did you-" she wanted to asked but he pushed her.

"Get out of here!" he told her.

"No!" she protested.

Houdini sent the teacher's desk toward the boy and out of panic, his body reacted once more. This time, though, the desk went through him. Lydia gasped.

"Girl, look out!" he called.

She looked up and screamed. _Someone_, she thought, _protect me_.

A girl with brown hair and blue eyes and elfin features showed up and caught the desk flying toward her, snapping it in half.

"Judith," Lydia named her breathlessly, "Judith."

A chain appeared around the girls neck.

"Another mutant? Ability of what, super strength? Invisibility?" Houdini asked.

Judith laughed. He saw her?

"Oh, please. I don't have an ability. I am an ability." she winked.

Realizing that he hadn't picked up on it earlier, he groaned. She brought out daggers and began throwing them at him.

"Rin! We need help in here!" Lydia called.

The elf soldier came in and began to help Judith.

"You, come with me." she instructed, pulling the boy with her by his wrist.

As they ran out, a tree trunk flew at them. Getting confused and scared, he pulled Lydia back to him and the trunk flew straight through them. Kitty got distracted and was hit by a fireball. Lydia could hear Logan telling her to get Kitty but how could she reach her in time? Iris.

"Iris, I summon you. Save Kitty, now." Lydia said.

Iris appeared and was soon stabbed as she stood over Kitty, protecting her. As the blade connected, Lydia felt a sharp pain. She screamed loudly and collapsed, her eyes shutting as Iris took her last breath.

**~X~X~X~**

Lydia's eyes opened to blinding white lights. She coughed, sitting up and noticed she was alone.

"Elliot." she mumbled, hoarsely.

Her protector showed up, looking better than he had earlier.

"M'lady, are you feeling better?" he asked, politely.

"Yes," she paused, "what happened?"

His eyes softened.

"What happened many years ago." Elliot mumbled.

"What happened many years ago?" she asked.

"I'll show you." he said, touching her cheek gingerly.

Then she was gone.

_They were in a hospital. A woman with pale brown hair and beautiful blue eyes laid in the bed, holding onto a newborn girl. The baby had her eyes, but the hair was darker. The woman smiled fondly at the baby and a male doctor walked in._

_"Mrs. Clark, it pains me to tell you that your daughter isn't normal." he said, cutting straight to the point._

_"What do you mean?" she asked, looking at her beautiful baby._

_"It appears that the father was either a mutant or a carrier of the X gene." the doctor explained. "Since they have passed no laws, she is free to live."_

_"What about my son?" she asked._

_The scene shifted._

_A little girl with long, curly dark brown hair was running through a field and giggling. She stopped when she tripped over an overgrown tree root. It was attached to the only tree in the whole field. Feeling her ankle snap, she fell over and screamed and began to cry. Her house was at least two miles away. She was scared and hurt. She wished someone was there to protect her. Suddenly, two small boys around her age with light brown hair and baby blue eyes knelt in front of her._

_"Are you okay, miss?" the first one asked, both of them dressed in black. They were twins, she noticed._

_"My ankle hurts and I can't move it." she sniffled._

_They picked her up and began carrying her._

_"Don't worry, we'll get you home." the other boy said._

_"What are your names?" she asked._

_"What do you want them to be?" the first boy responded._

_"Elliot and Ethan." she answered. _

_"Well I'm Elliot." he said. _

_"And I'm Ethan." the other responded. _

_The scene shifted again. The little girl was older now, maybe eight. She sat down with a boy around her age and the two boys, Elliot and Ethan. All four of them were laughing. _

_"Kids, time for dinner." a woman called. _

_All four kids ran down the stairs. They all seated at the table, the kids giggling. _

_"Shh." the boy whispered, giggling. _

_"I know the other twins are here," her mother smiled, "go on, show me sweetie." _

_Elliot and Ethan were now fully visible. _

_"Mrs. Clark, are you okay?" Ethan asked, concerned. _

_"No, there's something I need to tell you." the woman announced. "Your dad won't be coming home." _

_The boy clung to his silver dog-tags._

_"Why not?" he asked, tears in his eyes. _

_"He was killed in the war," she said, her eyes sad. She held out her hand which had a set of dog tags in closed in it, "he wanted you to have these, Lydia." _

_Lydia, eyes filled with tears, put on her fathers dog tags. A chain appeared around the twins' necks. _

_The scene changed again. _

_The little girl was a couple years older now, about ten. She was playing soccer with her brother and the ball went into the road. Elliot and Ethan had been watching nearby. _

_"I got it!" she called happily. _

_She ran out into the street and tried to get the ball. As she tried to catch the slippery ball, a car was coming. _

_"Lydia!" the boy called out. _

_"Hold on, I almost got it, Lucas." she assured him. _

_The car lay on its horn and she gasped, paralyzed in frozen fear. _

_"Lydia!" Ethan screamed, pushing her out of the way. _

_He was ran over and killed instantly. She screamed and collapsed on the ground. _

_The scene shifted once more. _

_The girl was in a white room and the boy stood by her, holding her hand. Elliot had tears in his eyes. _

_"Lydia, I'm very sorry for this. Lucas, I hope you understand." their mother whispered, wearing a lab coat. _

_She strapped both her kids to chairs and inserted a needle in Lucas' arm. She moved to Lydia. After seeing Lucas' eyes close, she screamed. Elliot went to lunge but the needle went in Lydia's arm. Elliot disappeared. _

Lydia looked at Elliot with tears in her eyes.

"Y-you had a brother? You disappeared? I-I had a brother?" she choked.

"I did. I did. And you do." he answered.

"How did you disappear?" she asked.

"You were still very young and not as powerful back then. You couldn't keep me around while you were asleep, though you most likely can, now." he said, "The shot your mother gave you erased all memory of you and your brother's abilities."

"Why?" she whispered.

"When my brother died... you started having these terrible nightmares. Only sleeping with Lucas would help." he answered.

"Was I really that big of a brother's girl?" she asked.

"Well it was his ability, but yeah." he cracked a smile.

"His ability?" she asked.

"To influence. Emotions. Thoughts. Actions. You name it." Elliot answered.

"Why don't I remember him?" she asked.

"You two were given another shot. Then he was sent away. This shot erased all memory of each other." he answered.

"Why?"

"I don't know."

"Could I ever bring your brother back?" she looked up at him.

"Yeah, it's called resurrection. You could bring him and Iris back. But it takes a lot of energy and it would hurt like hell." he answered.

"I'm going to get them back."

**~X~X~X~**

"You should be resting." Logan said.

Logan, Presley, Elliot, Kitty, Bobby, Rogue and the boy from earlier all watched her.

"No, I promised to get Elliot his brother back and I'm bring back Iris. I have to do this." she said.

"Lydia, you can try tomorrow." the boy encouraged.

"Who are you anyway?" she asked.

"Corey."

"Well, no. I promised."

"Lydia-" Presley whined.

"Shh, concentrating." Lydia said.

She focused on having the two elfin servants back. She thought of fond memories and suddenly felt pain in her stomach and heart. She'd come to realize that if she felt pain, she was doing something right. She held in her screams until two sharp jolts of pain hit her at the same time. She screamed and fainted, falling into the arms of a brown haired elf boy with blue eyes dressed in loose black clothing. His dog tag read Ethan.


	4. Seth

**Seth**

* * *

Two days. She'd been out for two days straight. Her abilities now so strong that her three servants remained with her for two whole days. Ethan and Elliot spent a lot of time talking while Iris fetched things for her master and kept the others informed on her condition. Lydia began to stir, eyes fluttering.

"Hey, guys, she's waking." Elliot called out.

Soon, everyone was in the room including Charles. Lydia's eyes fluttered open and her eyes focused on the three servants in front of her. She grinned wickedly.

"I did it!" she exclaimed, lunging forward and hugging the three tightly.

"Take it easy there, Princess." Logan warned, coaxing her back to a sitting position.

"It seems as though you grow stronger by..." the professor paused and scrunched his face in concern.

"By what?" she asked, cocking her head to the side.

"Pushing the limits." he finished.

"I promise not to do it too much. I just remembered Ethan and I missed Iris so much and I-"

Lydia was cut off as Kitty wrapped her arms around her in a firm embrace.

"Thank you so much, Lydia." she whispered.

Smiling, Lydia hugged her back.

_Lydia_, a voice rang in her mind. _Lydia_.

Lydia perked as did her servants.

"We have company." Ethan announced, cracking his neck.

Suddenly, Rin, Ian and Jay appeared.

"You didn't even have to speak this time." Presley nodded, impressed.

Lydia grinned.

_Lydia, duck_. The voice warned.

Ethan tackled her out of the way as the wall exploded.

"Hey, Elliot, now may not be the time but quick question?" Ethan asked, still covering Lydia.

"Yeah?" Elliot asked, looking at the three mutants outside through the new hole in the wall.

"Okay, two, actually. One, why aren't we as weak as Lydia right now? Two, who the hell are they?" he asked, motioning to their attackers.

"She's giving us her energy." Ian said, his spear in hand. "We got this, you two know what to do."

Ethan nodded and lifted Lydia bridal style.

_Lydia, they're after you. Run. _

"Elliot, we have to get her out of here. Now." Ethan warned.

"Noted. Let's go."

"Hey, take Corey and Presley with you. Oh, and here." Charles said, handing over a file. "I'll find you when it's safe."

The five of them left to a jet.

_Don't hurt them,_ Lydia begged.

_I'm not. I can't say the same for my friends._

_Why are you helping me? _

_Someone asked me to. _

_Who?_

_I can't tell you that, Lydia. _

Elliot got the jet off the ground and flew off. Corey was fuming in a silent anger whereas Presley was doing breathing exercises. Ethan and Elliot were talking and Lydia was looking over the file that was handed to her.

_Your friends are tough as hell. I didn't know there was a whole school._

_They're my family. _

_Must be nice. _

Lydia didn't respond. Houdini was just messing with her. He'd find her and turn in her location soon. Ignoring that, she looked at the first piece of paper. A boy named Seth. Ability unknown. Age sixteen, like Corey. Location, unknown. Sightings, homeless shelters. Lydia had an easy way to do this.

_Iris_, she communicated, _find him_.

Elliot perked.

"He's not far from here." he said.

"What-"

"She didn't want to tell you because he tapped into you specifically." he answered.

She nodded. They flew for an hour and a half and landed in a clearing.

"The attackers left the school." Ethan informed.

"I have a feeling that professor X wants this file cleared first." Lydia said.

Ethan nodded. Ethan and Elliot disappeared. She called back all of her servants, feeling more energized.

"Ready?" Presley asked.

"Before we get him, I have a feeling I'm going to need and energy drink." Lydia suggested.

"Agreed." Corey second.

Presley nodded and they walked to a store, buying three drinks from there. They then walked ten minutes to a shelter. Once they got there they saw a boy with blonde hair arguing with a man with dark red hair. The blonde haired boy glared at the man, obviously upset with him.

"I said," the boy said, angrily, "that it's my bed."

"I said move squirt."

"You asked for it." the boy sighed.

Suddenly, the man was thrown at a wall.

"A mutant!" people began whispering.

"No," the man grinned, "you asked for it."

His form grew to that of an eight foot man, heftier than before.

"Holy shit." the boy, Seth, mumbled.

He was knocked into a wall.

"Elliot, Ethan." Lydia said, over screaming people. "I order you two to forget about me and protect Seth for now."

She could sense that Seth could see them. He looked intimidated, yet impressed.

"What?" Elliot snapped, he and his brother appearing just seconds ago.

"It's an order." she said, making her point across.

"Yes, M'lady." they bowed, defeated.

They stood on either side of the weakened boy.

"What about you, Princess?" Presley asked.

"I got her back." Corey said, "Both of yours. After all, I am the guy. I'm basically the big brother."

Presley rolled her eyes.

"Let's go." she said.

Lydia took cover behind a bed.

_Lydia, try something for me. _

_What? _

_Try to be invisible like your servants. _

_That's not my ability._

_Your servants have it as one and they're made from you. Just try. _

Lydia stood up and concentrated. She saw the amazed look on Seth's face which told her she was invisible.

_How did you-_

_I just knew it. Now, help your friends and get out of there fast. More of his friends are on the way. _

"Guys we have to hurry." Lydia called out, braking the wooden bed.

She threw it, hitting the mutant in the eye. He cried out in pain and threw a bed at her. It hit her, knocking her into the wall and unconscious.

"Lydia!" Elliot screamed.

"Help her!" Seth snapped, looking at the twins.

"We can't! She ordered us to help you!" Ethan explained.

The mutant picked up another bed and threw it. Corey stood in front of her just in time and his body reacted. The bed hit him and shattered.

"Come on, Presley! What can you do?" Corey snapped.

She glared and walked over to the mutant. She placed her hand on him and he quickly passed out.

"Wh-what did you do?" Seth asked.

"My ability is electricity control. That means body electricity as well." she explained.

"Hey, the weird guy who tried to kill us warned Lydia about more mutants coming. We need to go." Elliot warned.

"We're going straight back to the school, she needs medical attention." Corey said.

"Agreed. Come on, Seth." Presley encouraged.

Seth followed.

**~X~X~X~**

Lydia woke up two hours later at the school. Everyone surrounded her.

"I am so sick of being unconscious." she grumbled, rubbing her head.

"Tell us about Houdini." Logan said, staring at her.

"Wait, what?" Lydia asked. "He's being weird and attempting to 'help' me. What about him?"

She rubbed her forehead, groaning in slight pain.

"He said to keep you protected and that there was someone who desperately wants you on their side."

"Oh yeah, and who would that be?"

"Your dad."

"Then why hasn't he taken me to him?" Lydia asked, confused. Her dad was dead.

"Because someone much scarier wants you protected."

"And who would that be?"

"Your brother."

"Lucas?" Lydia and the twins asked in unison.

"Wow," Seth whistled, sipping hot tea, "I thought my family was screwed up."

Presley shocked him.


	5. Meeting

**Meeting**

* * *

Lydia sat in silence as a few minutes passed. Her brother, who she didn't even remembering having, was trying to protect her from her dad who was suppose to be dead. Tears filled her eyes.

"Lydia..." Presley said, softly, sitting by her and putting a hand on her head.

"I-" Lydia sniffled.

"Guys, could you all give us some alone time?" Presley asked. Everyone but the servants left.

"I don't even remember my brother. My dad's suppose to be dead. Why is everything happening now? I'm so lost. I don't understand." she choked.

"None of us do, Lyd, but I promise we're going to protect you. We're going to keep you safe because it's what we do." Presley assured, rubbing Lydia's back.

The servants stood in silence, watching as the girls had their talk. Elliot found himself admiring Presley. She and Lydia had barely even had a full conversation but here she was, doing her best to help her. Lydia wrapped her arms around Presley and hugged her. Sniffling, she buried her head in her shoulder and didn't speak for a moment. Elliot nodded toward Ethan and they backed away a little more, wanting to give them more sense of space. Lydia lifted her head and sniffled again.

"I know what I have to do." Lydia announced, standing up.

"What is that?" Presley asked.

"I have to talk to Houdini." she said, walking out of the room, the rest of their friends outside.

"What?" Corey asked, hearing her.

"I have to talk to him about my dad and brother." she said, walking down the hall.

"With us, right?" Seth asked.

"No, alone." she said, going up the stairs to go to her room.

"No way, Princess." Logan said.

"You said it yourself, Logan," she said, now at her room, "he won't hurt me. Not when Lucas is making him protect me."

"It's too risky." Presley argued.

"I won't be alone. I'm never truly alone." Lydia argued back, motioning to the twins and Iris while she stepped in her room.

"Still." Corey continued.

"I'm going, alone, and that' that. I made the team for a reason, guys. They can protect me." Lydia said, shutting her door.

Elliot, Ethan and Iris appeared beside her. Lydia silently dismissed Iris.

"You aren't really going through with this, are you?" Elliot asked.

"Yes, I am. How did you guys do that?" she asked.

"Teleportation? We've always been able to." he answered.

"So that means I might be able to?" she asked, cocking her head to the side.

"Maybe." Ethan shrugged.

"Not the point," Elliot said, changing the subject, "how do you know he'll show?"

"He will. Trust me."

**~X~X~X~**

Lydia was sat down on a park bench in a red sweater, dark skinny jeans and red vans. Her dark hair was pulled back in a neat, curly ponytail and she was looking down at her lap, her leg shaking slightly. She was nervous, but then again she had every right to be. Here she was, alone in a park waiting for a guy who almost killed her but is also protecting her for her long lost twin brother. A twig snapping brought her out of her thoughts. She turned and saw the black haired boy with his breath taking icy blue eyes.

_Hello, Lydia_.

"You don't have to do that. We're alone." she informed him.

"So you really came alone?" he asked, slightly amused by her honesty.

"Yes. I told you I would and why would I lie when it's my meeting?" she asked.

"Good point." he said, walking over to the bench and sitting beside her.

There was an awkward moment of silence and a light breeze blew past. It was probably almost midnight now.

"Can I ask you something?" Lydia asked, facing the dark haired boy.

"You want to know how your brother remembers you." Houdini stated.

"Why do you do that?" she groaned in frustration.

"What's the point in having a gift if you can't use it?" he asked, wanting a genuine answer.

"Oh." she said, then looked away, "What about my brother, though?"

"He came to me about two months ago saying that he'd been getting random memories of a girl. He asked me to tap into his mind and give him his memories back, so I did. When we were done, he was shocked. He'd been working for your dad for at least two years and he'd never told him anything about being his father or about you. He-" he paused, "Duck."

Lydia, learning to react on instinct, did as she was told. As she ducked, so did Houdini and a knife whizzed over them.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"So I recently found out that I can extend my power to listen to any thoughts in my surroundings. Someones here to attack you. We have to go." he said, grabbing her wrist, pulling her with him as he ran.

"Where are we going?" she asked, pushing herself to keep up with him and not trip over her own feet.

"I'm taking you back to your school. We can finish talking about this some other time. It's probably not-" he stopped and let out a groan of pain as he fell to his knees.

Lydia knelt beside him, noticing the knife in his shoulder. Silently, she summoned Elliot and Ethan, only visible to her and Houdini.

"Guys, be on alert." she warned, summoning Rin, Ian and Jay.

"Make them take you to the school." Houdini said, hissing in pain.

"No, I'm not leaving you here." Lydia said, forcing him to let her see his shoulder.

"I'll be fine, you need to get to safety." he said.

"I'm safe as long as they're here." she promised, "Now, be still and take in a deep breath."

Houdini did as he was told and she yanked the knife out of his shoulder. He hissed in pain and another knife flew by. Ethan caught it by the blade just before it hit Houdini in the head.

"Just so we're clear, we're protecting both of you, right?" he asked.

"Yeah." Lydia nodded.

A girl with brown hair and brown eyes stood under the light post. Lydia recognized her as the girl who tried to kill her when they saved Corey.

"Erica." Houdini mumbled.

"Shut up, traitor. I knew following you was the right choice." she said, "Now, I get to kill you both."

She threw another knife and Ethan caught it as well.

"I don't have time for games." Lydia said, outraged.

"What are your orders, M'lady?" Jay asked.

Lydia looked down.

"It's either her or us, Lydia. I hate it but it's true." Houdini said, reading her thoughts, "And if she were in our situation.. well I know what her choice would be."

"Kill her." Lydia said, looking away. "But make it fast and not painful."

"So I guess beating her with my staff is out of the question, okay, Rin, you're up." Jay said.

Rin nodded and appeared behind Erica.

"You have been order to be murdered." Rin's voice echoed around them.

"Who's there?" Erica asked, turning around.

As she turned, Rin stabbed her through her chest, killing her instantly. Lydia's eyes stung with tears. That girl was dead because of her. She couldn't do anything about it.

"Actually, even though you might now want to, as long as the weapon of your soldier is still in them, you could revive her. But let's not." Elliot explained.

"You can also take their pain while they die when we kill them. It's what you've been absently doing with your servants." Ethan said, sheepishly, "Thanks for that."

Lydia nodded and Houdini hissed in pain.

"Soldiers, thank you, you're dismissed. Elliot, Ethan, pick him up and let's go." Lydia said.

"Yes, M'lady." her servants said, respectfully, the soldiers disappearing.


	6. Matthew

**Matthew**

* * *

Somewhere between leaving the park and making it back to the school, Houdini had passed out. Whether is was from the pain or blood loss, she didn't know. Without making too much noise, she went to the medical room and lay him on a bed. She summoned Iris who began looking at medicine and the equipment. After taking off his shirt, she began to clean his wound and disinfect it. Once she was done, she stitched it up. Lydia stopped paying attention when she heard the door open. She turned to find Seth and Corey, both in pajamas. It looked like Seth had just woken up because his hair was messy and his eyes were squinted. Plus, he'd yawned at least twice already.

"Where have you been?" Corey snapped.

"Shh," Lydia hissed, glaring, "he needs to stay asleep."

Corey, just now noticing the boy on the bed, fixed his gaze back on her.

"What happened to him?" he asked, confused.

"Some girl attacked us while we were talking and she hit him with a knife." she said, her voice cracking, "I-I had to order Rin to kill her."

Her voice was soft as she said the last part, tears spilling from her eyes and hitting the floor. Seth seemed to wake up now, whereas Corey was in shock.

"Holy shit, Lyd, come here." Seth said, softly, wrapping his arms around her.

Lydia thought hugging someone would make her feel better but it only made her cry harder. She couldn't believe what she'd done but Houdini had been right. It was either her or them but the fact that she had to choose is what made her feel worse about the situation.

"Get some sleep, Lyd." Corey said, coming back to his senses and rubbing her back.

Lydia shook her head.

"No, no," she said, breaking her and Seth's embrace and wiping her eyes, "I have to stay here and make sure he's okay."

She sat on the second and only other medical bed.

"Okay, well we'll be right back." Seth said, he and Corey leaving the room.

Lydia pulled her knees to her chest and sniffled again. Not only had a girl been killed because of her but Houdini was also hurt because she wanted information. She began to think that maybe trying to find out about Lucas wasn't such a good idea. Yeah, she wanted to know who her brother was, what he looked like, how he smelled. How a brothers embrace would feel. What meeting him would be like. She snapped out of her thoughts as the door opened and in walked the boys again. Seth smiled sheepishly and handed her one of the two pillows and one of the two blankets in his hands. She noticed Corey was also carrying a pillow and a blanket.

"What is this?" Lydia sniffled, motioning to them.

"We figured we could take shift watching him. You need some rest so I'll wake you in two hours and then it'll be your turn. Then you can wake Seth up." Corey said.

Smiling, Lydia pulled Corey and Seth into an embrace. No matter what hugging Lucas would be like, she felt as though she already knew what a brother's embrace felt like as they wrapped their arms around her.

**~X~X~X~**

Lydia woke up to Corey poking her cheek. She opened her eyes slowly and Corey smiled.

"Morning. It's like four now, I let you sleep a little longer. But just wake him up at six." he said, motioning to Seth.

"I feel like I sleep more in here than in my actual bed." Lydia joked.

"You kind of do, to be honest. That's scary." Corey chuckled, ruffling her hair.

Corey curled up on the floor by the bed.

"Hey, get on the bed. But make room because you and Seth are sharing it." Lydia said, getting out of the medium sized bed.

"You sure?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'll just switch with Seth when I wake him up." she said.

"Okay." he said as he helped her move him to the bed then climbed in it.

"Sweet dreams." she said, turning back to Houdini.

Lydia watched as Iris continued checking on Houdini and as the twins leaned against the wall.

"He wanted to let you sleep through your turn and just wake you up for Seth's." Ethan said.

"I'm glad he didn't. Have you two slept?" she asked.

She'd learned that they were much like humans, needing food and sleep just like she did.

"We can feed off your energy, remember?" he asked.

"Oh yeah. That's weird." she shivered.

"That's why you rest so well in so little time. You get double the energy in the amount of time as other people." Elliot continued the explanation.

She was about to respond when Iris shrieked.

"What is it?" Lydia asked.

"He moved." Iris whispered.

"He's okay, then. I have another question." Lydia asked.

"Yeah?" Elliot asked, waiting.

"Why do you guys have different personalities?" she asked.

"We usually take after people you know. Elliot and I take after Lucas. Iris takes after your mom. Jay takes after Seth and I don't know-"

"Seth wasn't around when I made them, though." Lydia cocked her head.

"He didn't have a personality until you met him. Had you ever heard him speak before that?" Elliot asked.

"Oh. I think Ian takes after Corey. Judith definitely takes after Presley. Rin, well I don't know." Lydia sighed.

Houdini moved on the table. He slowly sat up and yawned.

"You're awake." Ethan stated, shocked.

"Yeah, why are you awake?" Houdini asked, pointing his gaze accusingly at Lydia.

"She's slept some, she just woke up about ten minutes ago. You've been here for almost three hours and Seth and Corey made sure she went to sleep almost as soon as she got here." Elliot assured.

Houdini nodded.

"Good, I don't need Lucas killing me."

"Tell me more about him. I don't care to know about his ties with my father right now. I just want to know about him. What he looks like, what he acts like, his favorite food. Just, everything." Lydia said.

Houdini patted a spot next him and Lydia sat down. She looked at his pale, defined torso. Then to his face again. He was necessarily that pale, she'd seen paler, but it still amazed her and made her wonder what his eyes would look like against tanned skin.

"Find out during the summer." Houdini winked.

"Stop doing that!" Lydia groaned.

"My skin changes to match the seasons. I don't know. I think it has to do with the X gene. But about Lucas. What does he look like? He looks just like you. Dark hair, blue eyes, fair skin. He's taller, though. He's about 6 foot. His personality? Well, look at those two idiots protecting you. Right there, that's Lucas and me in a nutshell. His favorite food? If you want your pizza, keep it away from him. He likes to be active so we usually play soccer when we're around each other. His ability is persuasion. He can do it by either touching you or looking you in the eyes. I met him way before he wanted me to bring out his memories so we have a promise that we'd never use our powers on each other without permission, so don't think I'm under his influence when I say I'm going to protect you with my life, Lydia. He doesn't even have to threaten me. He's been my best friend for years and when we found out about you, it sort of became our number one goal to keep you safe." Houdini said, looking at her. "We've been doing it before you even came here. That's how no one ever found you. Charles didn't even know about you because I had you blocked from him."

"You two have been protecting me for over a year now?" she asked, her eyes moist. "What's the closest he's ever been to me?"

"Two feet when a regular human man almost kidnapped you after school a few months ago. You never saw us because I messed with your mind. It was that reason we let your mom bring you here. Seeing you with your servants and people who care about you, well we thought you'd be better here." he said, motioning to Seth and Corey, "they care about you, Lydia, just like your brother and I do. Just know we're always around."

"Wait, so you're not staying?" she asked, her eyes widening.

"No, I have to go and help Lucas. Erica never got to let the others know so I'm safe to go back." he said.

"When do you leave?" she asked.

"Now."

"You can't stay a little longer?" she asked, worried that his wound wasn't going to be okay for a while.

"Just because it's you and your worried, I'll wait until you fall asleep. Lay down." he said, scooting down on the bed more. She lay down and got comfortable. He moved back down to where he was sitting in front of her stomach.

"When can I meet him?" she yawned.

"I don't know. It might be risky but I can try. I can't promise anything." he told her.

She nodded and closed her eyes, slowly drifting off.

"Houdini," she said softly, fighting sleep, "what's your real name?"

"Matthew Henry." he said, a memory of a little boy with black hair and icy eyes by her and her brother flashed through her mind, "She erased every memory of me, as well."

Lydia couldn't respond because just as she was about to, she fell asleep.


	7. Sophia

**Sophia**

* * *

When Lydia woke up, Matthew was gone. Lydia looked over to her servants.

"He left when he was sure you were asleep. He told us to tell you to actually pay attention to your dog tags next time you look at them." Ethan said.

Lydia pulled the chain and read the dog tags. One set was ruined to where she couldn't read the name while another was dedicated to a boy named Lucas.

"Why do I have Lucas' dog tags? Why does Lucas even have dog tags?" she asked, looking at the twins.

"Lucas had his mind set on going into the army when he was older. Your dad knew that and pulled some favors to get some made for him for a birthday one year." Elliot said.

"Oh. He must miss these." she said.

"Matthew said he didn't want them back because they were from his father but because they labeled who he is, what he wants to be and because you kept them safe all these years." Ethan said.

"I can't wait to meet him again." she said, softly.

On the bed next to her, she heard Seth moving around.

"Why didn't you wake me up, Lyd?" Seth asked, sitting up and looking at his watch, "It's like eight."

"Matthew left so I went to sleep." she shrugged.

"Who's Matthew?" Corey asked, sitting up next to him.

"Matthew is Houdini's real name." Lydia explained.

"Oh, that's nice." Seth yawned.

"Yeah, apparently my brother-"

Lydia's cut off as the door open and Bobby walks in as if he's rushing. He stopped right in front of her and held her shoulders, inspecting her.

"Are you okay?" he asked, calmly.

"Yes." she said, swiftly.

"Okay, good." he released her, "Come on, we have an assignment. Seth, Corey, Presley and you are going to be getting a new member most likely."

"What makes you say that?" Presley asked, walking in dressed in her suit.

"Her ability is unknown and the other mutants have been after her." Bobby answered as Presley passed out suits.

"Well," Seth said, "I hope she's not going to be trouble."

**~X~X~X~**

After changing and getting in the jet, Lydia remembered why she never flew before. Her mother, Marie, was a very important woman and always wanted her to go to business meetings with her considering she hated leaving her alone. Then one time her mother ordered too many drinks and got trashed before they even landed. She wasn't on top of her game at the meeting and almost lost her job. Looking at Logan's giddy form reminded her of her mom. She never imagined him as a drinker but here he was, drunk before they had to save someone's life.

"Logan," Bobby said, tensely. "I think it might be best for you to never drink again."

Logan chuckled and lit a cigar. Something about that seemed so familiar to Lydia but she couldn't place how.

"Don't worry about me, Bobby." Logan assured.

They landed roughly in a field where a girl was knelt in front of a tree. Her light brown hair fell forward, her head bowed. She looked up, her grass colored green eyes on Lydia.

"It's a strap." she said, just as a fireball was shot at Logan.

"Logan!" Presley and Lydia cried out, fireballs being thrown their way.

As Seth tackled Lydia a fireball hit his shoulder while Corey grabbed Presley and the ball of fire went through them. Lydia rolled over to where she was on Seth and summoned her protectors. Seth groaned in agony at the pain in his right shoulder. Without speaking, she ordered Elliot to protect Logan, Ethan to protect Seth and Judith to keep Presley and Corey safe.

"Who are you?" Lydia snapped, standing up.

"Flame." he said, blasting a fireball at her.

_Now or never,_ she thought, closing her eyes as she felt herself shiver. Once the sensation passed, she opened her eyes and was behind Flame.

"What the hell is your actual power?" Flame snapped, grabbing her throat.

She gagged, hearing someone call her name. In only a matter of seconds, she felt as though she were running a fever and it only got worse as she gasped for air and tried to scream.

"Put her down!" someone screamed.

She heard a grunt and fell to the ground, her eyes shutting as she landed.

This time when she woke up, it was to the sound of voices.

"Took you long enough to show up." someone, Corey she thought, spoke.

"We could have taken him." someone, definitely Seth, said.

"Is she going to be okay?" a female, Presley asked.

Lydia felt herself try to pass out, and she did.

"Why are you stripping her?" Seth asked.

"She needs to be put in the water, Bobby make it colder." a new voice said.

"I can distribute the water all over her." Seth said.

"Here, Matthew, put her in." the new voice said.

She felt her hot skin connect with air currents as she rose out of someone's grasp. She felt herself move and heard the crashing of waves. She felt icy cold water as she went in and suddenly, it snaked its way all over her face, going everywhere but in her mouth or up her nostrils. To say it felt like Heaven on her burning skin would be an understatement. She stayed in the water for what seemed like hours until it suddenly became freezing against her skin and she shivered. Some must have heard her whimper because she was lifted out of the water into someone's arms telepathically, she assumed. She buried herself into them, shivering. She became aware that she was only in her underclothing but to have almost died made it okay.

"Lyd, are you feeling better?" she heard Seth ask from in front of her.

"I'm c-cold" she shivered.

"Matthew, give her your jacket or something." Corey said.

She felt herself go up in the air and her limbs moved gently without her doing anything. All she could do was relax. She felt a piece of cloth slide over her body. She guessed it was a long sleeve t-shirt. She felt another piece of cloth drape around her as she floated back into the unknown person's arms. Whoever it was was really comfortable despite being slenderly built. The person slightly tightened his grip on her.

"I can't believe she summoned the warriors in her sleep." Presley said, amazed.

"And dismissed them." Logan added.

"She's very strong." Matthew's voice rang out as the person holding her spoke.

So it was him? Matthew was really there? Suddenly she felt more at ease. He came to her aid when she needed him. He wasn't lying when he said he was always around. But what made her more excited was the fact that Lucas was probably there, too.


End file.
